Sad experience today

[spad124]

Today I was in the local farm/ag supply store. On my way out I stopped by the ammo shelves. A father and his about 12 year old son were also looking at the shelves. A clerk came by and asked if he could help. The dad said, "looks like you don't have what I need- .22 long." The clerk told the dad that 22 goes out as fast as it comes in. People stop every morning and grab all the 22 they have. I talked to the dad and he had been to all but one of 4 LGSs in the area and had no luck. I gave him the name and directions to the last LGS.

The sad thing is that it was clear the dad just wanted to have an afternoon over Labor Day weekend showing his son how to shoot. The son was a typical 12 year old with his phone out, but was obviously pretty disappointed they couldn't find ammo.

That's my problem with hoarders. In spite of all the family first rhetoric, the hoarders ruin opportunities for a family to enjoy shooting and for parents to teach their kids to shoot.

Along the same lines, at the beginning of the summer a LGS was taking donations of 22LR for the Boy Scout shooting badge program. All the hoarders are doing is discouraging new shooters.

 

[Waywatcher]

Hoarding .22 is so nonsensical I don't even know where to start.

Pathological compulsions to accumulate unneeded quantities of a commodity for unrealistic contingencies. Sad, really.

 

[doublesharp]

Yeah, it sucks that .22lr isn't readily available for a nickle a round but I don't blame hoarders and those that do can go pound sand.

CDNN has been running value packs for $50 regularly. Suck it up and buy some.

 

[Faulkner]

Hoarder is a name that those who didn't stock up call those who did. I'm not sure I would call the recent ammo shortage a "unrealistic contingency".

Now, gougers I don't like so much. That would be those who keep buying so they can re-sell it for double the retail value at gun shows to those who failed to hoard.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

One man's hoarding is another man's stockpiling. Back in 1980 I was in the New Jersey National Guard, we had a range session with 22LR adaptors in M-16s. I donated the ammunition used, otherwise there would have been no range session.

 

[Waywatcher]

Faulkner, no, it's not.

I don't own a .22. I have no need or use for any of it.

As an 'outside observer,' the situation is clearly nonsensical.

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

Certainly not good for father and son.

But ya know... There was a similar story posted here complaining about not being able to find ammo for the kids to shoot for over a year! Forum members quickly posted links to .22lr that was in stock and some of it wasn't greatly over priced at 5-6 cents. Turned out he didn't need it after all. There is plenty of rimfire to be purchased by those who try just a little. Great resource-- http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-wesson-m-p-15-22/292430-official-stock-22lr-ammo-thread-203.html.

For those who don't wish to do more than walk into store and buy what they want when the want, they are likely to be disappointed. It will return. Until then, those who wish to buy .22lr will need to work at it a bit online. If that is too great of a burden... then that's that.

 

[Stevens]

The local Academy Sports has been having supply of CB .22 lr rounds available. I had never shot them before but bought some for when the grandkids come over. I tried them in a single shot Stevens and they seem fine, Shot a few into a piece of wood they didn't go through but will be fine for shooting cans or targets. $4.00 a box of 50 made in Mexico. They are primer only, no powder very quiet the sound of the hammer striking drownds out the primer going off.
Steve W

 

[Practical]

I don't think its all hoarding. I am beginning to think suppliers are limiting production. We have a local wholesaler who states he CAN'T get 22 ammo. Also the margins on 22 ammo are low to begin with.

If the price of lead/brass is increasing, would manufacturers want us to shoot HIGHER margin product? To make that happen limit supply.

Also, frankly hoarders typically horded for the last 20 years. I know people who do so and are NOT buying 22 now they are buying what they think will be in short supply later. Also, in states like NY where they are afraid that when the background checks for ammo purchases go into effect they won't be able to buy ammo without big cost increases or limits on amount because the state police are allowed to visit you home if you purchase TOO Much at a time is driving purchase.

 

[loutent]

It's always a supply-demand thing - buy when demand is low - it will come again.

 

[hangnoose]

SUCK THIS UP!

A 50$ value pack is app 2.5 x what it used to be. Fair is fair but IMO set your own realistic top price 5-8 cents per (your choice) depending on brand & stick to it. If we keep feeding the gougers they will never go away. When I can reload cast 38's/ & 9mm's for less than 22's, guess what I'll be shooting. On the flip side anyone that didn't see it coming/ recognize when it happened, and actively start looking harder & wider, must have been living under a rock. It stinks for the kid but dad should have looked for ammo MUCH SOONER.

 

[jdh]

This weekend is the third anniversary of the Great Bastrop County Labor Day Conflagration of 2011. I lost about 10K rounds of 22. So far I have been able to replace less than 500. I have insurance replacement 22s I haven't shot yet because I don't want to use up my meager supply and not be able to replace it.

Yes I do have a problem with people buying just to resell at gouging level prices or stash away in case they may buy a 22 sometime in the future, maybe, no plans to ever do so, but they have ammo should they ever.

 

[Arik]

Just watched my lgs unload a UPS truck full of 22lr pallets on Wednesday. If the it's the supplier trying to limit they are doing a bad job

 

[feralmerril]

With all the talk about the .22LR shortage I have yet to hear valid reasons that make sense of the cause to me. If a ammo company could make the ammo a couple years ago for X amount and make a profit why cant they do it today and keep up with the demand? If the ammo is sort of black marketed for ungodly profit, why arent the companys not raising (probley are) to the stores and working overtime to fill the void? It sure would make more sense than making other calibers that isnt having as much demand.
I have no idea what caused the shortage but at this point in time I have to believe that its strictly a mental crowd panic along with people thinking they will cash in and hopefully make some easy bucks. I highly doubt much of the ammo is shot but most is being stashed by mob mentality. I bet 40 years from now many of the hoarders kids will be asking is that cruddy old ammo dad had in the basement still safe to shoot? I have ammo right now laying around that I reloaded as far back as 45 years ago and lost the recipes! Why hasnt other ammo went up as bad? Its all about mob mentality and greed.

 

[Mule Packer]

Dang. I really feel for both the father and son. There's nothing like watching the thrill that comes to a kid when he first starts shooting. I've had that experience with all four of my children and several of my grandkids.

I taught Hunter Education for over 28 years and I keep a little Henry single-shot mini-bolt on hand to teach the young ones basic firearm safety and marksmanship.

Now, when it comes to hoarding, I've never considered myself a hoarder. On the other hand, whenever I'd take the kids out to the range and we'd shoot up a hundred rounds, I'd always swing by the local Walmart and replace the hundred rounds that we shot, plus another hundred rounds. Hardly ever bought a brick...just an extra hundred rounds. It wasn't like I was buying thousands of rounds at a time...just replacing the ones we shot, and then one more box. After a while, I had several hundred rounds on hand.

Then, the big shortage happened. I didn't have thousands and thousands of rounds stockpiled, but I had enough where I could still take the grandkids out occasionally and shoot a few tin cans.

If that's your definition of a hoarder, I guess I am one. But I sure as heck ain't apologizing for that. That's just putting the ol' Boy Scout motto, "Be Prepared," into action.

I know of some folks who go out and shoot up all the ammo they have and then figure they won't replace it until they go shooting again. If that's what they want to do, that's fine, but don't start calling me a hoarder because I made it a habit to replace the box I shot and then one more.

 

[doublesharp]

.22 shells have long been touted as alternative currency in a for real shtf scenario. Howard Ruff was preaching that sermon back in the 1970s.

 

[blujax01]

Oh puh-leeze. It's readily available everywhere on line every day and has been advertised out the yingyang for months now.

It's available in many states in brick and mortar stores, everyday.

If this person is not aware that he may need to make a few preparations in advance in order to plan a proper shooting outing, he is out of touch with the events of the past TWO YEARS. I am quite sure that if they went to a range, they could buy some of this oh-so-precious 22 ammo.

It is not news.

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

With all the talk about the .22LR shortage I have yet to hear valid reasons that make sense of the cause to me. If a ammo company could make the ammo a couple years ago for X amount and make a profit why cant they do it today and keep up with the demand? If the ammo is sort of black marketed for ungodly profit, why arent the companys not raising (probley are) to the stores and working overtime to fill the void? It sure would make more sense than making other calibers that isnt having as much demand.
I have no idea what caused the shortage but at this point in time I have to believe that its strictly a mental crowd panic along with people thinking they will cash in and hopefully make some easy bucks. I highly doubt much of the ammo is shot but most is being stashed by mob mentality. I bet 40 years from now many of the hoarders kids will be asking is that cruddy old ammo dad had in the basement still safe to shoot? I have ammo right now laying around that I reloaded as far back as 45 years ago and lost the recipes! Why hasnt other ammo went up as bad? Its all about mob mentality and greed.

Rimfire was getting more difficult to find well before the panic. There has been an endless list of rimfire replicas introduced into the market over the last several years, particularly black rifle replicas with 30rd magazines dangling from them. Combined with the economic downturn, inexpensive rimfire shooting exploded. Then came the panic which was the rimfire tipping point. Rimfire demand is the issue. And of course some folks have taken advantage of it and buy to resell.

 

[venomballistics]

I find myself at the reloading press often crunching on things to sidestep this issue.
30 cal cartridges, powder coated cast round balls sized appropriately, and powders such as unique, universal, trail boss and the like can replace the 22 in these roles with great effect.
Been doing it this way for nearly 15 years.
There was no shortage, I just liked my BOSS A Bolt a lot more than my Marlin mod 60, and wanted an excuse to use this excellent rifle more often.

 

[Smoke]

If my memory serves the ammunition industry really hasn't been able to meet demand since 2008 and of course after Sandy Hook the shelves stayed empty for weeks at a time.

I don't think it's at all planning for an unrealistic contingency to believe that won't happen again.

I learned my lesson the last time this happened and now if at all possible my wife picks up a box or two of ammunition every time she goes to Wal Mart and as Mule Packer said we replace what we shoot every time.

If that means I'm taking out of someone else's hands I'm sorry but I am also enough of a realist to know that they'd have no compunction about doing the same to me.